In Good Faith

Continuing our love of God mini series, Steve speaks with Keyvan Guela about the Baha'i concept of love and Keyvan's personal experience of feeling God's love through the care of the people around her. Keyvan Guela is is the Founder and Executive Director of Center for Global Integrated Education (CGIE), a non-profit Baha’i-inspired educational organization, which explores oneness of all humanity. She has served for two years as the producer and host of a two-hour weekly live radio show for the Persian community in Southern California, focusing on the role of the psychology of spirituality in personal and social transformation. She is originally from Iran.

Welcome to our Love of God mini-series! To kick it off, host Steve speaks with Rev. Dr. David Moore about the origin story of David's podcast, how to feel God's love, and learning to walk. The Rev. Dr. David Moore (he / him) is leads Santa Barbara’s Beloved Community Church, and also Jesus Collective, an online community that fosters wholeness and equity by healing relationships and cultural divides. He co-hosts “God is not an a**hole” with Kerry Connelly.

BYU's IFSA came to the In Good Faith studios to talk to Steve about their community projects and motivations. Dr. Andrew Reed teaches comparative religion courses and church history. He is the Chair of the BYU Council for Interfaith Engagement and an organizer and participant for the Jewish - Latter-day Saint academic dialogue or read the latest piece written for the Religious Education Review (Fall 2017). He founded the BYU Interfaith Student Association in 2018. Dr. Mike McKay is an associate professor of religion in the Department of Church History and Doctrine. He is a former historian/writer for the Joseph Smith Papers Project. He teaches World Religions, History of Joseph Smith, Doctrine and Covenants, and Foundations of the Restoration. Grace Chipman, from Canada, is a History major and Global Women’s Studies minor. Janai Wright, from Texas, is Philosophy Major and and was the 2023 BYU Intern at the Woolf Institute. Katelyn Boyer, from Massachusetts, is an International Relations, co-president of the IFSA, and participant in the Boise Interfaith Seminar 2023: Alleviating Poverty Through Service and Scholarship trip.

Steve sits down in studio with Drs. Esther-Miriam Wagner and Emma Harris from the Woolf Institute of Cambridge University to discuss why the British don't "do" religion and how their institute hopes to change that attitude. Dr. Esther-Miriam Wagner is the Executive Director of the Woolf Institute and Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge. She is an Affiliate Lecturer at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and teaches on the MPhil in Middle Eastern Studies: Muslim-Jewish Relations at the University of Cambridge. She chairs Woolf Institute panels and webinars, including the Institute's How to talk about … series, which among other topics, has considered Religious rights and Freedom of Speech and Humor and Religion. Dr. Emma Harris is the Director of Grants Management and Alumni Relations at the Woolf Institute. Emma has led strategic and operational plans for teaching at the Woolf Institute. Between 2018 and 2022, she managed the Diversity in End of Life Care training program and led on the development of the Woolf Institute publication, Diversity in End of Life Care: A Handbook on Caring for Jewish, Christian and Muslim Patients.

Steve and Heather chat about their upcoming TV documentary on BYUtv. Get the app or find the channel on ROKU.

Today, Steve talks with Rabbi Dr. Shaul Praver, a first responder at the tragic Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012. Praver was a leader in helping to heal the community in the aftermath. For his community work he has earned the Samaritan Medal of Peace and Humanitarian Accomplishments and was named one of the 50 most influential American Rabbis by Newsweek magazine, both in 2013. We are not going into graphic detail, but be advised, as there are discussions of children dying and gun violence in today's episode.

This week, we hear from Rev. Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Dr. Susan M. Shaw. They speak with senior producer Heather Bigley about their book, "Surviving God: A New Vision Through the Eyes of Sexual Abuse Survivors." While the interview is not graphic in any way, be aware that we're discussing a difficult topic. Rev. Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim is a professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and author, coauthor, or editor of numerous books, most recently Spirit Life; Invisible; and Intersectional Theology. She has served on the American Academy of Religion's board of directors, is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and is the host of the Madang podcast from The Christian Century. Dr. Susan M. Shaw is professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Oregon State University. She is author of Reflective Faith: A Theological Toolbox for Women (2014) and God Speaks to Us, Too: Southern Baptist Women on Church, Home, and Society (2008) and general editor of the four-volume Women's Lives Around the World: A Global Encyclopedia (2018).

Steve chats with James Goldberg about his religious heritage and offering charity to those who came before us, as people working to build and experiment in the art of religion. James Goldberg is an American historian, playwright, poet, and writer. He has Jewish, European, and Punjabi ancestors; his grandfather, Gurcharan Singh Gill, was the first Sikh to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). James is a contributor to the Saints history project with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is on the board for the Association of Mormon Letters (AML) and served as its president from 2020 to 2021. He has published two novels, four collections of poetry, and two other books and is the 2024 Storymakers Award for his multi-faith writing.

Steve sits down with Oren Jay Sofer and chats about how meditation is needed in tumultuous times, how to develop inner strength, and how the play of small children is an important skill we all should retain. Oren Jay Sofer teaches Buddhist meditation, mindfulness, and communication internationally. He holds a degree in comparative religion from Columbia University and is a Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner for the healing of trauma. Born and raised in New Jersey, he is the author of several books; most recently, "Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity, and Love."

We first spoke with Leah Marett in a bonus episode with students at BYU involved in interfaith work. We loved her story, so we invited her back for a full episode! Leah Marett is the host of the The Non-Member Project podcast, drawing from her experiences as a Protestant Christian student at Brigham Young University. Currently, she is earning her Master’s degree in Athletic Training.